A letter from Scotland’s children and young people

April 29, 2022

Ahead of the local elections in Scotland a consortium of young people have written a joint letter to council election candidates outlining their areas of concern.

The letter identifies six key areas that prospective councillors should prioritise if elected in order to represent their younger constituents properly. The areas identified are:

Hunger – hungry children can’t learn and childhood hunger impacts educational attainment and perpetuates cycles of poverty.

Education – the educational attainment gap is growing. Closing this gap is key to creating equality for all children and young people.

Gender equality – the underrepresentation of women in politics must be addressed to achieve fair representation in Scotland.

Wellbeing – free and easily accessible community-based mental health support for children and young people needs to be funded to protect the wellbeing of Scottish youth.

Transport – better rural transport is needed to support young people to survive and thrive in remote communities.

Youth services – children and young people living in poverty need properly funded youth centres and outreach projects. This will give them the same social benefits and community support that other young people experience.

The project was led by Magic Breakfast and supported by members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, organisations working on behalf of children and young people, and children and young people’s rights campaigners.

The letter was signed by our Young Humanist Scotland Ambassadors, and the full text of the letter can be read by following the link below.

Letter From Scotland’s Children and Young People